Yan Qingqing was happy to see the children's excitement. Yuan Huiniang carefully held the hairpin in her hands and asked, "Mother, this hairpin is so beautiful. I have never seen such a beautiful hairpin in my life."

Li Xinniang, who was standing to the side, said, "Of course, sister-in-law, do you know how much this hairpin is worth?"

Yuan Huiniang only knew that the hairpin looked expensive, but she wasn't really sure how much it was worth. However, Li Xinniang had seen the receipt from Zhenbaoge, so she said with a smile, "This one in your hand, sister-in-law, is worth a full three hundred taels."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang's hand trembled and she almost dropped the hairpin. Was it really that valuable? Although she had three hundred taels of silver, she really couldn't bear to spend that much money on such an exquisite hairpin.

Yuan Huiniang thought for a moment and said, "Mother, this is too precious. Let's not keep mine. Let's keep it for our sisters' dowries. I have a silver hairpin that I bought during the New Year, which will be fine."

Yan Qingqing glanced at her and said, "I will prepare the dowries for Xinniang and the others. You will be the young mistress of the household in the future. You can't be without a decent piece of jewelry when you're dealing with people. You can wear the silver hairpin at home, but it's not suitable for important occasions."

I've said before that I treat my daughter-in-law and daughter equally, and as their sister-in-law, you'll inevitably have to contribute to their dowries when they get married. But this is something I'm giving you, so please accept it.

Li Xiangping added, "Since Mother has given it to you, just keep it. We'll buy even better ones for our sisters later."

Yuan Huiniang glared at Li Xiangping and said, "What your mother sends is the best."

Li Xiangping was speechless. Of course he knew that what his mother gave him was the best, but who was he doing this for? Now he was caught in the middle, not pleasing anyone.

Yan Qingqing talked to them for a while longer, then asked them to leave. She needed to rest. But Li Xiangyang refused to leave, clinging to Yan Qingqing. So Yan Qingqing held the little one and lay down on the bed together, and soon the mother and daughter fell asleep.

Perhaps because she was at home, Yan Qingqing was exceptionally relaxed and slept through the night without even having dinner.

The next day, when Yan Qingqing opened her eyes, she saw Li Xiangyang reaching out a small hand and secretly pulling her hair. When she saw that Yan Qingqing was awake, the little girl even smiled at her with a bit of embarrassment. Yan Qingqing's heart was almost melted by her.

After playing with Li Xiangyang for a while, Madam Ren and Ruyi came in to help Yan Qingqing get ready for bed. Ruyi said with a smile, "Madam slept so soundly last night. You didn't even wake up when Madam Ren and I changed the little miss's diaper last night."

Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "I slept much more comfortably at home. You two have worked so hard. I even bought two silver bracelets in the provincial capital. You and Madam Ren will each get one later as a reward for taking care of me and Miss Ren these past few days."

Ruyi knew that Yan Qingqing's intention to reward them was genuine, and that receiving a reward from their master was an honor. Ruyi and Madam Ren quickly knelt down and kowtowed to Yan Qingqing to express their gratitude.

Yan Qingqing looked at the two of them helplessly; she was truly not used to the habit of kneeling down at the drop of a hat.

After the two received the bracelet, Ruyi helped Yan Qingqing with her washing and grooming, while Ren Niangzi changed Li Xiangyang's diapers.

Since she didn't plan to go out today, Yan Qingqing asked Ruyi to style her hair into a very ordinary bun, and then carried Li Xiangyang to the restaurant to prepare for dinner.

When Yan Qingqing arrived, Li Xiangping and Li Xiangan were already waiting there. They only started eating after Yan Qingqing sat down in the main seat.

While eating, Li Xiangping said, "Mother, now that you're back, why don't we call my third and fourth brothers back so we can have a family reunion dinner together?"

Yan Qingqing shook her head and said, "No need. Mother hasn't been away for more than a few days. Third Brother is busy with his tasks and will be leaving home in two months at most. Mother doesn't want to delay his learning. As for Fourth Brother, he has no idea that Mother is in the prefectural city waiting for him. He will naturally come back when he has time off."

Li Xiangping nodded in agreement. However, Li Xiangjian was certain that Yan Qingqing had returned, since Ying Liu and Ying Qi had been following her. Now that she was back, the two of them would definitely report to Xiao Mochen. They hadn't come yesterday, but unless something unusual happened, they would definitely come down the mountain today.

Sure enough, before they had even finished their meal, Li Xiangjian and Xiao Mochen rushed over in a flurry. As soon as Li Xiangjian entered, he shouted, "Mom, are you alright? That woman didn't do anything to you, did she?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiangping and the others all turned to look at Yan Qingqing. Which woman was she? Could it be that their mother had been wronged in the prefectural city? Why hadn't she told them?

Yan Qingqing felt uncomfortable under those burning gazes. Was she supposed to tell these kids that her charm was so great that it aroused jealousy, and that they wanted to force a man into her life to ruin her reputation?

In the end, Yan Qingqing couldn't resist the inquisitive gazes of the children and briefly explained what had happened. Even if she hadn't said anything, they would have found out sooner or later, since Xiao Mochen was there.

The children were furious after hearing this, but none of them had the power to avenge their mother, and they all felt extremely frustrated.

Yan Qingqing looked at the group and chuckled, "You guys don't need to be like this. We're just ordinary people, living at the lowest rungs of society. It's already quite remarkable that we've achieved what we have today."

But as the saying goes, fortunes change every thirty years, and a gentleman's revenge is never too late. We have to accept what happened in the prefectural city, whether we like it or not. Fortunately, Mother didn't suffer any loss.

But Mother hopes that in the near future, when we encounter something like this again, we will have absolute say, or that no one will dare to use such insidious tactics against us.

Li Xiangping and the others remained silent. All they could do now was silently strengthen themselves, because the fifth-rank Assistant Magistrate was an insurmountable chasm for them, and perhaps one they would never be able to cross in their lifetime.

Xiao Mochen, who was standing to the side, said leisurely, "Don't worry, Aunt, I will definitely not make you wait for ten years."

Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing affectionately patted his head and said, "Mo Chen, a small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. You must never act impulsively. This time, we owe you a lot. Your aunt hasn't thanked you yet."

Xiao Mochen looked at Yan Qingqing with admiration. In the past, his aunt would only pat Li Xiangkang's head, but now she was patting his head too. Did that mean he was becoming more and more important in his aunt's heart?

He originally intended to kill Shen Tongzhi to avenge his aunt, but the things Ying Liu brought back made him cautious. If he really killed Shen Tongzhi, he would alert the bigger fish that would follow, making it harder to catch them. He had been lying low here for half a year and absolutely could not let his efforts go to waste. However, the fact that his aunt was being bullied almost made him lose his mind.

He figured his aunt must have figured it out, which was why she said those words. Since his aunt had spoken, he would wait a little longer. But the longer he endured, the more tragically the deaths of the man surnamed Shen and that woman would be.